Space Travel and the Moon

Space travel in Moonglow—and particularly NASA’s moon landings—seem to represent both an expression of human ideals and a reminder of human folly. Feats of space travel take great cooperation and innovation and bravery to even attempt, let alone accomplish. However, the novel often focuses on the real historical figure of Wernher von Braun, an engineer who built missile rockets for the Nazis in World War II before becoming instrumental in NASA’s space landings. This draws a distinct connection between the glory of space travel and its troubling origins. This tension creates a complex moral question with regards to human achievement in general, questioning whether monuments like the moon landing can really outweigh the tragedies of human history. The novel does not give a direct answer to this quandary, it simply illustrates both the dark and uplifting sides of...